Chapter 16 Oh, old rivals meet again
Li Lianniang was stunned for a moment; this was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her like this.
She shook her head and said, "I believe you have a reason for making this arrangement."
"..." She didn't. She just wanted to see if the clash between the female lead and the female supporting character would inevitably lead to something bad.
Zhao Xian pursed her lips and explained a few more words: "These days you've been busy with the affairs of the manor, and I've noticed you're in a good mood and haven't had time to think about messy people and things, so I thought I'd use this method on Tingyue. She's been immersed in the passing of her father and brothers, and with so much worry and anxiety, her health is bound to suffer."
Upon hearing the explanation, Li Lianniang's expression immediately relaxed: "Mother, don't worry, your daughter-in-law will take good care of Miss Cui."
She's so easy to coax.
Upon learning that she was to learn housekeeping from Li Lianniang, Cui Tingyue was even more shocked. "Mother, this...this is not a good idea."
Zhao Xian only asked her to learn from her, not to give her authority. She said, "Didn't you say that your birth mother died early? Then no one must have taught you how to manage a household. I'm getting old and just want to play with my granddaughter. As the eldest sister-in-law, you should learn from your sister-in-law so that you won't be helpless after you get married."
Cui Tingyue swallowed, suppressing a sob in her throat, her eyes slightly reddening: "Thank you for your teachings, Mother. I will definitely study hard with you, Sister-in-law."
Li Lianniang left with Cui Tingyue. Managing the household is not just about sitting and looking at the account books; you also have to check them from time to time, and some things even require your personal inspection.
It just so happens that there will be a flower viewing banquet at the Princess's residence in a few days. It's easy to decline other invitations, but it's not easy to decline this one.
Zhao Xian entrusted the preparation of the visiting gift to Li Lianniang.
This can be considered her first step in taking over the management of the household.
Granny He went along, firstly because Cui Tingyue had just taken charge of the household, and the people under her might not necessarily trust her, and secondly because she could provide assistance and guidance from the side.
Peony replaced Granny He and served Zhao Xian beside her: "Madam, look, Xiu'er is sucking on her lip, so cute."
Zhao Xian leaned over and saw Jiang Shuxiu sucking and spitting out her small mouth, as if she was trying hard to speak.
Zhao Xian teased her with a small gold gourd, saying, "Grandma thinks this little gourd matches Xiu-jie's outfit very well today. Grandma will tie it on for Xiu-jie."
The little one immediately stopped pouting, her eyes fixed on the little golden gourd, even easier to coax than her mother.
Peony served tea to the side, and she really couldn't understand why the madam would put the eldest young mistress and Miss Cui together.
In the past, they would have known it was impossible.
Not to mention that the eldest young mistress was not liked by the madam, even Miss Cui was not much of a favorite of the madam.
She had overheard the lady mentioning this to Granny He more than once.
'There are no better ways to repay a debt of gratitude than to bring the person to your residence. It would be awkward to even mention sending them away, and it would only give people something to gossip about.'
Just wait and see, trouble is bound to break out.
In the past, to avoid trouble, the madam rarely saw Miss Cui, but now she has actually arranged for her to work as the eldest young mistress in managing the household.
--
There were no conflicts or dramatic events in the relationship between Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue, unlike the typical plot of a tragic novel.
This is probably related to Jiang Wei not being at home.
For some unknown reason, Jiang Wei, who was only working as a clerk at the Dali Temple, suddenly got the opportunity to go out on business with his superior.
The place they were going to wasn't far, and they said they would be home in about five or six days.
On the third day after Jiang Wei left home, the steward sent to fetch the guests from the eldest daughter-in-law's family returned with a message:
Madam Li and her daughter, along with their servants, have disembarked from the passenger ship and will arrive in Jin'an in about eight or nine days.
Granny He immediately took out several dates that she had previously selected for the full moon celebration, pointed to one of them and said, "Madam, Young Madam, this date is good. After the madam arrives, she can rest for a couple of days."
Zhao Xian looked through all the dates and found that this was indeed the most suitable one. Anything further ahead would be too far off. She nodded and said, "Let's set this date. Have the accounting department fill in all the dates on the invitations and then send them to each household."
Granny He: "Okay."
Zhao Xian continued the conversation, but found that Li Lianniang hadn't listened to a word.
"Lian Niang, Lotus Niang——"
"Huh? Mother, what did you say?"
Zhao Xian looked at the absent-minded Li Lianniang and repeated what she had just said: "I said, tomorrow you will come with me to the Princess's mansion to attend the flower viewing banquet. Wear the clothes that were just sent from the embroidery workshop. Try them on and see if they fit. If they don't fit, have the embroiderer fix them as soon as possible. Wear the jewelry that I gave you during your confinement period."
It's time to take this opportunity to clarify the rumors circulating outside and to build momentum for the upcoming full moon celebration.
According to the original owner's memories, the wealthy and powerful families in Jin'an would hold grand celebrations for the birth of their eldest son or grandson, but for their daughters or granddaughters, they would only invite their own family members, and would not even hold a full moon celebration or invite guests.
Li Lianniang nodded: "Okay, daughter-in-law understands."
Because Cui Tingyue was still in mourning and it was inconvenient for her to go out to enjoy the flower banquet, Zhao Xian arranged some things for her and needed to give her some instructions at this time.
When she turned around, Zhao Xian noticed that Li Lianniang was still out of sorts, and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Li Lianniang is the housekeeper. According to Granny He, she has a high opinion of her. She is not the kind of person who gets arrogant after gaining power, and she is very serious.
She was fine this morning, but now she could clearly sense that Li Lianniang was absent-minded, as if something was on her mind.
Li Lianniang paused for a moment, then tugged at the corners of her mouth and shook her head with a smile: "No."
"That's good. If anything happens, remember to ask me. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. By the way, your mother and sister are coming. Where do you plan to put them?"
"Xiequ Pavilion".
Zhao Xian was still thinking about the empty courtyards around Yunzhu Garden when she heard Li Lianniang blurt out one.
After thinking for a while, she vaguely remembered that Xiequ Pavilion was quite far from Yunzhu Garden.
However, since Li Lianniang had a plan, Zhao Xian did not interfere and said, "Alright, after we return from the flower viewing banquet, you can make arrangements. If anything is missing, just go to the storeroom to get it."
Li Lianniang nodded, glancing at her mother-in-law's profile as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. She hadn't expected that the people from the Li family would be them.
But then I thought, I'm only attending Xiujie's full moon celebration, so I probably won't stay for too long.
—
Early the next morning.
When Li Lianniang came to pay her respects, Zhao Xian circled around her twice.
He scrutinized everything carefully, from headdresses to clothes to shoes.
Seeing this, Li Lianniang shrank back slightly: "Mother, is there...is there something wrong with your daughter-in-law?"
Zhao Xian reached out and adjusted the hairpin in her hair, saying with satisfaction, "Perfect. Cheer up and remember that you are the eldest young mistress of the Jiang family, representing the Jiang family. There is no room for cowardice. Let's go."
Even so, Zhao Xian was actually not sure herself.
The original owner of this body didn't really like banquets and preferred to stay home quietly. If it weren't for the fact that it was difficult to refuse invitations from the Princess's residence, she wouldn't have wanted to go out at all.
The carriage drove all the way to the gate of the Princess's residence, entered through the side gate, and stopped at the hanging flower gate.
The maid took out a veil and put it on her mistress.
As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were being helped down from the carriage by their maids, a matron in a brown cross-collar gown lifted her skirt and came down the steps to greet them, saying:
“Madam Jiang is a rare guest. This old servant is a maid named Chen who serves the Princess. I was instructed by the Princess to wait for you here early this morning.”
The other party's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and their tone was neither haughty nor obsequious.
As if a switch had been flipped, Zhao Xian immediately put on a proper smile even though she was wearing a veil, and said in a solemn tone, "Thank you for your trouble, Princess. Please ask Granny Chen to lead the way."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a little confused.
Generally, those who send someone close to the host to pick them up are usually close friends or people of higher status than the host's family.
Zhao Xian doesn't eat either of those things, so why did the Princess send her personal maid to wait for her at the door?
Filled with doubt, I followed behind Granny Chen to the back hall of the Princess's residence, where I was to pay my respects to the Princess first.
As they approached the flower hall, Granny Chen slowly turned her head and reminded her, "Madam Jiang, there are no men here. Please remove your veil to show the Princess her true face."
Understanding her meaning, Zhao Xian stopped in her tracks, and a maid stepped forward to remove her veil.
The moment Li Lianniang's face was revealed, a flash of surprise crossed Chen Mama's eyes.
Although she tried to hide it quickly, Zhao Xian still caught her.
Just kidding, Li Lianniang is the female lead. Although she is constantly abused and feels sorry for herself in the book, anyone who can be the female lead must be good-looking.
Especially during her postpartum period, Li Lianniang received nourishing food and medicine, which improved her blood and energy, making her look radiant and elegant.
These days, with the housekeeper in charge, my confidence has returned.
His every move was completely different from before, when his brows always looked worried and he gave off a bitter look.
The closer they got to the flower hall, the closer Li Lianniang huddled with Zhao Xian.
Realizing that she was scared, and considering that the original owner hadn't taken Li Lianniang out much before, it was a normal reaction for her to suddenly be in an unfamiliar environment.
"It's alright," Zhao Xian reassured her, extending her arm over.
Li Lianniang instinctively reached out to hold him, her previous worry vanishing instantly, and her heart calming down.
They weren't the first to arrive; many ladies and young women were already seated in the flower hall, and their voices could be heard from outside.
"The wife of the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review arrived with her daughter-in-law, Jiang Lishi."
As the eunuch's voice faded,
Just as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached the entrance of the flower hall, the conversation inside abruptly stopped, and dozens of eyes turned to look at them.
Noticing Li Lianniang's tightening fingers, Zhao Xian gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her.
Despite the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Zhao Xian remained calm and composed as she led Li Lianniang into the flower hall.
However, the eldest princess was not present in the flower hall.
Upon seeing the person seated at the head of the table, Zhao Xian felt every cell in her body clamor, and she straightened her back ramrod straight.
"Granny Chen? Where is the Princess?" Zhao Xian looked at the old woman who was leading the way.
With a smile, Granny Chen explained, "The Princess is not feeling well, so the flower viewing banquet will be temporarily overseen by Princess Rongyang."
A note from the author:
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